Return to Dance and Physical Activity After Surgery in Professional Ballet Dancers

Although several studies report the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries in ballet dancers, few studies evaluate return to dance (RTD) after surgery.

To describe characteristics of professional ballet dancers who underwent surgery for musculoskeletal injuries/pathologies and to report their RTD, physical health, and mental health.

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

The records of all professional ballet dancers registered at the Opéra de Paris in September 2024 were reviewed to identify dancers who had undergone surgeries (excluding infiltrations and injections) to treat musculoskeletal injuries/pathologies. A questionnaire was completed, including RTD data, pain at the operated site, satisfaction with surgery, University of California-Los Angeles activity score, and 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data.

Of 165 registered professional ballet dancers, 18 had undergone at least 1 surgery during their professional career, and all 18 responded to the questionnaire. The cohort comprised 11 women and 7 men who had undergone a total of 31 surgeries (only 1 unrelated to dance), with a mean age at time of surgery of 30.7 ± 6.2 years (range, 18-42 years). There were 13 knee procedures, 8 foot/ankle procedures, 5 hip procedures, 3 hand/wrist procedures, and 2 thoracolumbar procedures. All 18 dancers eventually returned to dance (100%) at 7 ± 4 months (range, 1-17 months). At 83 ± 67 months (range, 11-305 months) after surgery, pain at the operated site was 1.6 ± 2.4 (range, 0-8), satisfaction with surgery was 8.3 ± 3.4 (range, 0-10), UCLA activity score was 9.1 ± 1.5 (range, 6-10), SF-12 physical component was 88.1 ± 12.5 (range, 45-100), and SF-12 mental component was 65.3 ± 19.2 (range, 25-100).

Our study demonstrated that, of the 165 professional ballet dancers registered at the Opéra de Paris in September 2024, 18 dancers (11%) had undergone 31 surgeries to treat musculoskeletal injuries and/or pathologies during their professional career. After surgery, the RTD rate was 100%, with dancers reporting little to no pain and excellent physical health, but satisfactory mental scores. High rates of return to dance and good clinical scores are possible in professional ballet dancers who undergo surgeries for musculoskeletal injuries.